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Suddenly, no outfit is complete without a belt.
The trend has actually been building over the past two years. And now, for fashion girls everywhere, a belt is a necessary part of an outfit, as well as the topic of TikTok lore and Substack comments. The selling and sourcing of popular belts, like Khaite’s Benny style, is a common subtheme.
Stylist Allison Bornstein, author of the book “Wear It Well,” often recommends belts to her clients and followers, she said. “Belts are a great way to add structure, hardware, texture and, most importantly, intention to your look,” she said.
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In addition to being a relatively easy outfit upgrade, they’re proving a major boon to several businesses. That includes fashion brands like Free People, Madewell and Anine Bing, as well as jewelry brands like Heaven Mayhem and Aureum Collective, both of which made belts a first non-jewelry category launch.
Two-year-old Heaven Mayhem, a jewelry line worn by Hailey Bieber, Matilda Djerf and Sydney Sweeney, introduced belts in the summer of 2023. Founder Pia Mance called developing the collection a labor of love. Her leather suppliers and sewers are all in Los Angeles, where she is also based.
Mance first teased the belts on the brand’s Instagram. “It was such an engaged post,” she said — the post received 117 comments. Four days later, the belts launched on the brand’s e-commerce site, resulting in its biggest-ever sales day. Some SKUs sold out before the day’s end, while several others sold out in the days following. Since then, Heaven Mayhem has released new belts via a limited-edition drop model, Mance said.
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According to everyone I spoke to for this piece, belts are, indeed, spiking in sales at the moment, but they’re also here to stay. And they’re spiking for a reason. As Bornstein put it, “There was a real moment of minimalism and paring down, but it resulted in many people feeling like their looks were boring or basic.” Now, she said, people are using belts to “add some personality.”
There are countless TikToks debating the merits of one of the category’s most earth-shaking additions: Khaite’s Benny Belt. Its popular and most-often sold-out studded iteration will set shoppers back $580. So, for Mance and other founders building belt businesses, offering a more approachable price point has been a point of differentiation. Heaven Mayhem belts sell for $175-$200.
“Maybe the Rosie Huntingtons of the world and those chic girls can afford [the Khaite belt], but I’m trying to align with the everyday girl who either has disposable income to buy it or can save up and can afford it over two or three paychecks,” Mance said. “They can get a high-quality belt that looks amazing and is [more elevated] than Zara.”
Madewell, for its part, is currently selling 28 women’s belts online. They range in price from $48 for a Skinny Leather Western Belt to $58 for a Chunky Metal Leather Belt. The latter is available in five colors, and a handful of sizes are sold out in the Desert Camel iteration. According to a spokesperson, the company has seen a “huge spike in belt sales, more than doubling its business [in the category] over the last year.”
Anine Bing is seeing a similar story play out. “Wholesale orders on belts are up 250% from last year,” said Olivia Gentin, the brand’s COO. “We’re seeing this growth both from expanding the offering in the category and from greater overall demand at a per-style level.”
She added, “Belts offer an easy way to elevate an outfit and give you a polished look without being too fussy, which is central to the Anine Bing effortless and modern design aesthetic.” The brand’s bestseller is its Signature Link Belt ($180), which it offers in three sizes. It will become available in more colors later this year, Gentin said.
Favorite Daughter, meanwhile, launched its first belts in February, “We have always felt that belts finish a look and add instant polish,” said Sara Foster, co-founder of Favorite Daughter. “With the success of our denim and The Favorite Pant, it felt natural to launch belts.”
The brand was deliberate in keeping its belts priced under $100. It launched two styles: The Favorite Belt ($88), available in two finishes, and The Jordan Belt ($98), in two finishes. “Since launch, belts have been one of the most popular categories on our website, and we will be launching them into wholesale for fall with an expanded assortment,” Foster said. “Most sizes sold out almost immediately, and [belts have been] one of the most searched terms [on our site] with a significant waitlist.”
Aureum Collective, which launched with jewelry in 2019, expanded into belts and eyewear in October 2023. “The ethos of the brand has always been, ‘Dress simply and let your accessories do the talking,'” said founder Cass DiMicco, who is also an influencer and former buyer. The brand currently sells 21 belts, all made with an Italian manufacturer and featuring “the highest quality leathers, buckles and hardware,” DiMicco said. They range in price from $150-$450.
DiMicco said that, when she styles Aureum Collective’s imagery, she aims for the looks to be replicable, even for followers who aren’t necessarily purchasing from the brand. Aureum Collective’s community includes 160,000 Instagram followers. The collection will be expanding soon, she said.
As DiMicco sees it, belts play into the broader ways style has shifted in recent years. “There’s more structure to outfits,” she said. People want to look a little more “put together.”
“You can change your look a million different ways — just add a belt, and it will look completely different,” DiMicco said, noting that she will wear the same belt very differently to “get her nails done” than to go on a “dinner date.”
“It’s worth that extra little investment to have something that you will literally have forever,” she said.
Collabs of the week:
Larroudé x Gabriela Noelle
Larroudé, the mid-priced shoe brand launched in 2020, is known just as much for its cute shoes as its epic collaborations. Its partnerships have included Jennifer Fisher, Altuzarra, LoveShackFancy and Barbie, to name a few. But its latest collaboration — with Gabriela Noelle, released on Tuesday — marks the first time the brand has collaborated with an artist. “The entire collection is limited-edition, and the Full Bloom Mule is uniquely numbered — we only produced 40 pairs,” co-founder Marina Larroudé told Glossy. “This presents an opportunity for clients who admire Gabriela’s art to acquire a piece of it. … As each shoe receives a different ‘cut’ of the leather, no two shoes are alike. Each is literally a work of art.”
Glossier launched its new SPF on Caitlin Clark’s face
This week, Glossier built on its ongoing partnership with the WNBA by launching a new product on the orange carpet at the WNBA draft — its new Invisible Shield SPF 50 ($32) debuted on the face of No. 1 draft pick Caitlin Clark. The brand tapped makeup artist Raisa Flowers to do Clark’s makeup for her big night, for which she also wore a silver Prada ‘fit.
“Glossier has always been about celebrating beauty in real life, and the women of the WNBA embody this philosophy,” Kleo Mack, Glossier’s CMO, told Glossy. “We were the first official beauty partner of the WNBA back in 2020. …. We’re thrilled to witness this moment where women’s athletics are getting the attention and respect they have always deserved. This class of WNBA draftees has catapulted the league into the stratosphere. For Glossier to be part of the 2024 Draft — making sure these women felt their best, on one of their biggest nights — means the world to us.”
Spate Trend Watch: Rice face masks are gaining traction
The trend of rice face masks is on the rise, with over 8,000 average monthly Google searches representing 115% year-over-year growth. This reflects consumers’ interest in natural skin-care solutions, including DIY options. Along with rice face masks, searches for flour and soy milk masks have increased. The appeal of rice stems from its nourishing and brightening benefits and its enduring role in Asian skin-care traditions.
In addition to homemade recipes, consumers are exploring branded options like the Cosrx Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask, the Ishizawa Lab Keana Rice Mask and the Skinfood Rice Daily Brightening Mask Wash Off. They’re also seeking out rice masks featuring other natural ingredients like ginseng, coconut, rose water, coffee and turmeric, which aim to address skin concerns such as aging, acne and dryness.
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